Multiple needs in terms of human resources and training
ANAD survey: needs for 1200 jobs every year
The online networking event of the European project TOURING with tourism stakeholders in Cyprus focused on the discussion of human resources and skills needs in the tourism sector.
The TOURing networking event was held on Wednesday, 19 July 2023 and was organised by the Cypriot project partners, POVEK and Opinion & Action. More than 40 participants, representatives of tourism stakeholders and businesses discussed about the severe staff shortage tourism sector is facing and the need to acquire new skills related to the quality of Cypriot tourism.
In his address at the event, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis stressed that “investing in the human factor is an investment in the quality of Cyprus as a tourist destination” and that in close cooperation with the Ministry of Labour “, they are proactively seeking solutions to the problem of staff shortage related, among other things, to the seasonality of tourism”.
ANAD officer Konstantinos Panayiotou presented the recent major survey of the authority on “Employment and Training Needs in Cyprus”, which shows that the tourism sector in Cyprus will continuously need trained persons for 1200 jobs every year in a ten-year forecast. These occupations relate to jobs mainly in hotels and restaurants and arise from the departure or retirement of existing staff and the need for new employment due to the economic growth.
In the following discussion, the participating industry professionals strongly emphasised the need to take the initiative to meet current and future human resources and training needs. They called for the shortage of college-level staff to be taken into account and for the education system to be given priority so that the younger generation would be drawn to those hospitality and catering professions that offer a secure career and income.
Participants also called for a redefinition of the employment policy for foreign labour to make use of staff from the rest of the EU and third countries. Finally, the need for a comprehensive strategy involving the Ministries of Labour, Education and Interior and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism was stressed.
The online TOURING event offered the opportunity for a constructive discussion and recording of needs and proposals that will be used in the implementation of the training programme, especially in relation to the development of training activities for the digital and green upskilling of the tourism SMEs workforce in Cyprus.
TOURing – Pact for Tourism Skills is a project co-funded by the European Union under the innovative action “Forward-Looking”.
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